Sean Rintel

Sean Rintel is a Senior Principal Research Manager at Microsoft Research. He is a social scientist specializing in human-computer interaction, with a focus on distributed team collaboration and AI workflows. Based in Brisbane, Australia, he is affiliated with the UK Cambridge Lab. He leads the "Tools for Thought" team, aiming to integrate profound human cognition into AI systems to optimize team collaboration. His research spans remote and hybrid meetings, trends in technology and communication, and he has been part of several award-winning teams in Microsoft's global hackathons. Active in the academic community, he contributes as an author, reviewer, and editor, and collaborates on external academic projects.

• 2014–Present·Microsoft Research·Senior Principal Research Manager
  • Researches distributed team collaboration and AI workflows; leads the "Tools for Thought" team and the "Intentional Meetings" workflow.
• 2012–2014·University of Queensland·Lecturer in Strategic Communication
  • Taught communication courses and researched social communication technologies.
• 2010–2012·University of Queensland·Associate Lecturer
  • Focused on English, Media Studies, and Art History research.

• 2010·State University of New York at Albany·PhD
  • Specialization in Sociology (Communication track), supervised by Professor Anita Pomerantz.